


4 times Exalcore saved Darecure and one time Darecure returns the favor

by Rehkind



Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, Multi, Starcrossed Lovers, meet cute on a warfield
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:35:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26071252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rehkind/pseuds/Rehkind
Summary: In the midst of a brutal war, Darecure manages to get within death's reach again and again but each time, a tall Decepticon is there to save his ass
Relationships: Autobots & Decepticons, Original Cybertronian Character(s)/Original Cybertronian Character(s), nonbinary/male
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	1. One and Two

[ o n e ]

He hit the floor hard, for the sixth time since their fight had started. And just like the five times before, his opponent stopped in their tracks, straightened out their back and took a deep breath. Their large sword rested softly in their hands but Darecure knew that they would be ready to fight in a split second. But he wasn't even close to getting up again. He just needed to take a breath or two again. And the Decepticon in front of him was willing to give him a break. 

"Why?" Darecure asked, after gaining a bit more control over his aching body. "You could just kill me now." He tried to get up but broke down again. He could feel disgust ripple through his body - he shouldn't be this weak. He had no right to be this tired of fighting already. Barely anything had grazed his paint before the tall Decepticon had pushed him further and further away from the main fight. Now he was out of sightline, only able to hear his friends doing their best to try and survive the ambush. All he could see was the colorful foliage of this planet and the tall Con in front of him. Patient and deadly. He had to give it another try. Looking down on his feet, he tried to focus on them, tried to feel his legs. Just one step, he tried to walk just one step. The pain was still too high. He caved in.

But he didn't hit the floor. Instead, a pair of strong hands caught him. He hadn't heard the Decepticon approach but their face loomed over him. With a swift movement, they threw away his gun and the knife he had hidden in his arm. Darecure didn't move, not wanting to provoke any hasty decisions the Decepticon could be making. For a few moments, they just stared at each other. Then they finally spoke: "I do not kill medics." They carefully sat down Darecure on the floor again and then took a few steps to listen to the sounds of their colleagues fighting. Darecure didn't get it. "If you don't care for fighting medics, why are we here and the others over there?" The Con sighed and then, much to Darecure's surprised, carefully placed their sword on the floor. "There are few Decepticons that share my believes."

Darecure wasn't sure what to say. This was a real act of kindness and furthermore one that could get them killed. "Who are you?" he asked. He nearly added a 'Are you sure you're a Decepticon' but he had told himself to try and avoid all useless provocations. "Exalcore," they had picked up their sword again. "Sounds like the fight is over. We should go our separate ways." They offered Darecure a hand which he reluctantly took. "You fight amicably. Especially for a medic." Back on his feet, he stumbled up to his weapons. Exalcore didn't seem bothered by it. sword hanging as relaxed by their side as before. "Thank you?" he replied, unsure how to handle this situation. "My name is Darecure." Shakily he offered his hand and Exalcore took it seemingly without thinking.   
"Darecure… I shall keep your name in mind… still, lets hope we never meet again during this war." He nodded, they were right. Then, without another word, they disappeared between the thick plantlife of the planet. Only a few minutes later, his team arrived, switching from relieved to annoyed and back to relieved. Back at their camp, he examined his wounds. They could have killed him easily, he realized. Not only were they clearly taller and more trained than him, they also had the knowledge to kill.   
He could only hope that life and war wouldn't force them to fight again.

But it did. 

[ t w o ]

Somehow, he had lost himself in the maze on his way back to their makeshift base. Of course, that was the point of a maze after all. This was neutral territory - the whole planet was - but command had intercepted decepticon messages about conquering it. Some rumors about it becoming an outpost to redistribute weapons and fuel from. And just like that, their team had been called in to keep an eye on it. 

Absolutely nothing had happened in the last three orbital cycles. Not even the local wildlife bothered them. No ships tried approaching the planet. Not even the system. The other Bots weren't of much help either. It was downright boring. Darecure had to find a hobby and he needed to do so quickly. Thankfully, the planet had some rather interesting flora and he wanted to catalogue them all. It would make a great present for his old sparring partner, Kaido. He hoped she was still alive. Being an expert on exoflora wasn't something that was considered very useful during the war so they would most likely be some low rank soldier. He still wanted to search for them when all of this was over. Maybe 'when' was the wrong word. It could be 'if'.

Walking around the next corner, Darecure still didn't recognize anything familiar. He cursed his alt mode being stuck to the ground. Next up he cursed his boredom. It was the reason he was searching for the purple fruits he had seen last time and now he just couldn't find his way back after all. Maybe he had walked straight past the base and now walked into the wilderness. Maybe he just had to walk a little further -

A loud, somehow familiar voice boomed through the twisted maze. "In the name of the Decepticon Justice Department, I hereby convict you of treason against the cause so many of our brothers and sisters have died for." He should leave, he should run. But instead, he turned towards the voice and sneaked closer. He couldn't understand the reply but whoever they were, they were very unhappy about this. As he peaked into another tunnel, he could see them. "I offer you a fair fight. You'll have a chance to return home," Exalcore stood in front of a Decepticon nearly as tall as themselves. "I'd rather die," their opponent snared. Pulling their sword - they must have gotten a new one since they last saw each other - out of its holster on their back, Exalcore got into a fighting stance. "So be it. You have chosen your own fate."

The fight was short but Darecure took each klick he had been given to let his Optics wander over Exalcore's body. He had forgotten so much about them already - was it due to the time that had passed or the just the excitement of the fight? He wasn't sure. But there they were, taking hits like it was nothing. But their armor reflected that strategy - their chestplate was nearly cut through, revealing their intricate wiring beneath it. No good reason for such a level of ornamentation besides - well - aesthetics, he guessed. He would love to discover how far it reached… purely out of medical curiosity of course. Suddenly, the other Decepticon dodged Exalcore's hit, sliding past them and right next to Darecure. 

Before he was able to run, a large servo wrapped around his Cadulen and pulled him closer. "Look what we got here," the Decepticon snarled, pulling him up into the air like some price to be shot down. Darecure only got a short glimpse of Exalcore but it was enough to confirm that they recognize him. "Well, I'd say taking out an Autobot is more important than catching me, now isn-" With one slice, the sword went right through the Decepticons Helm and Processor. He could see deep into the clean cut when the two sides slithered apart. They were dead before he could even worry about them hurting him. Darecure prepared to land on the floor but he got caught mid air by a strong set of arms. 

With a loud clang, the Decepticon fell to the ground, sword still stuck in their voicebox. Darecure couldn't move his optics away from them, as Exalcore carefully sat them back down on the floor. "I'm sorry you had to see that," they mumbled, taking a step back to end the inappropriate proximity and give him space to breathe. "But I am happy to see you alive and well." Darecure looked up, still at a loss for words. They looked back at him, concerned. "No need to worry, I'm the only Con around... now." He had to look away, staring at the floor. It's a strange thing having your life saved by a Con once, but it's setting up questions when it happened twice. "Thank you for saving my ass again," he said instead of asking anything. "I guess I'll owe you," he tried to joke. Exalcore grinned but quickly caved in and fell to their knees with a growl. Darecure quickly moved closer, checking each inch for an injury that could explain the sudden pain. 

Energon leaked out of a large gash on their back. "Hang in there," Darecure roamed around in his travelbag until he found some basics to patch up the wound. He could hear Exalcore gasp in pain when he touched the open cut but the Con didn't move away. They didn't even look back at him to check what he was doing. They just stayed put, seemingly trusting him. It wasn't perfect but it was clean and most importantly, it would stop the leaking. Exalcore got up too quickly and nearly fell down again but Darecure caught them as best as he could. "Hey, no need to rush. You should take your time, you're very hurt." Exalcore smiled but they looked tired. "Thank you friend." Darecure could feel his face plate burn at those words. Thankfully, his mouth plate hid most of it. He still had his servos on their mid-section from when they caught them. He pulled them away, not wanting to do anything inappropriate, but Exalcore caught them in their own servos. 

"I'm going to have to leave quickly again," they mumbled, looking down at their crossed digits. "But I hope we meet again-" Darecure moved into their field of vision, removing his mouth plate to let Exalcore see his smile. "I hope so too," he sounded nearly too soft for his own liking. "Let's just hope it's not during battle."

[ i n t e r m i s s i o n] 

They didn't meet again for a very long time. Darecure changed crews and ships again and again. But contrary to the time between their first two meetings, Darecure didn't forget anything about the tall Decepticon. Far too often, his thoughts drifted to their soft glances, the way his servos tingled when Exalcore touched them, the way they said 'friend'. Thank primus most of his face was covered or all of the crew would see the dreamy look he had each time he thought about them. It did affect his work. He was slower, less focused, had few nice words for his patients. He was either dreaming about meeting them again or his mind was stuck worrying if maybe, he hadn't seen them again because they were already dead. It was war after all. 

But an attitude like this had consequences. It started with innocent questions. Are you alright? Did you get hurt in the last fight? Is there something on your mind? It took Darecure a while to realize that they suspected he had been psychologically damaged. He did get lost a lot, so there was a lot of time when no one had an eye on him and something could have happened. Well, they weren't entirely wrong but there was no way he could tell them about it without getting at least a stern talking and being transferred far far away from the frontline. 

It happened anyway. At some point his performance rate got too low and they replaced him. It wasn't too unexpected but this time, he wouldn't return to some other hotspot with lots of bots in need of help. He'd get shipped off to some far off outpost. Far away from the actual war. "I hope you'll be able to confront whatever has been haunting you there," one of his coworkers - the only one who bothered to say goodbye when he left - said before he got into the smaller transport ship. "Thank you," he said with a weak smile. There was no way Exalcore would end up there too.


	2. [t h r e e]

[ t h r e e ]

He ran for his life. He didn't know what the danger was. But it had killed 5 of the 10 other bots he had been stationed with. 6, he corrected himself as he heard another guttural scream. Darecure thanked Primus he hadn't build up any platonic bonds on this station. It made it a lot easier to keep running when he heard the others scream for help. Nothing here was worth dying for. 

Was it something a coward would do? Yes. But it's also something a survivor would choose. He could be both. He took a sharp turn and entered a maintenance tunnel. Larger bots couldn't fit inside them and maybe he was lucky enough that the thread outside killing the others couldn't fit either. Even if it did fit, he didn't plan to stay for too long anyway. Closing the door behind him, the cool darkness of the tunnels enveloped him and instantly calmed his mind. His pedes seemingly worked on their own - no wonder considering that he had spend a considerable amount of time here since he arrived. 

Darecure was the shortest. Sure, some of the other bots did fit into the tunnels too but they had to cram inside, ending up with scratches all over their plating. Some even got lost in there. The overall layout of their station was horrible but the maintenance tunnels took this whole issue to another level. It was ancient after all. Ancient, prone to breakdowns but also deeply soaked in history. He never understood how others got lost in the tunnels when there was literal writing on the wall detailing where they stood. Soon after his arrival he had taken over all maintenance duty for the station. After half a kilocycle, he had started hiding in them whenever he felt too overwhelmed by the small but loud crew. It became his safe space to think about life. Nothing happened on the station anyway. 

Well, until now. He reached what he liked to call his little personal corner of the ship. A seemingly useless bay that might have housed some sort of equipment back in the days when people still cared about this ship enough. He had converted it into a neat recharging spot. He didn't know why or when he had stopped recharging in his room. But it did come in handy now. He grabbed his blanket and pushed it into the bag he had stored in the corner. There was nothing else he needed. All he had left from his life fitted neatly in that piece of cloth. 

He had first packed his bag when he got a letter from Kaido. He had hoped for some sort of reunion with his former sparring partner but she wrote to apologize. She had decided to join the Decepticon army. He understood her of course. She had been offered a good position, an assistant position for some hotshot scientist. Compared to being a sad little foot soldier, this was a clear upgrade. She would survive longer this way. Still, he feared ever seeing her again. He didn't want to have to attack her and even more important, he didn't want to put her into that situation.

He didn't want to join the decepticons. All he wanted was to run far away, into a bit of the universe this war had never touched. But he never did. He wasn't sure if he was too afraid or if there was some last drop of duty left in him. It didn't matter anyway. He could simply thank Primus for this little advantage while he was trying to run away from whatever went feral in this station. Getting closer to the door to the hangar, he forced himself to walk slower, more controlled. Better too careful than a dead 'bot. His digits glided over the wall, searching for the familiar indentation of a closed door. When he found them, he took another klick just to listen. Nothing. He took a deep breath and pushed the metal door open. His view was blocked by a few boxes containing energon they had lazily stacked in one of the corners of the hangar. Horrible decision, he decided, but hindsight made all of them wiser. 

He still had to get to one of their ships. All he had to do was take another look ar-  
He got cut off the by the gradual approach of chatter. "Mirco just confirmed the ship is ready for our leave. Twinetwist, are you finally satisfied?" They sounded angry but not as downright pissed as the following Con. "There were eleven Bots on this ship - eleven. Can you count, Strikequake? Because you might just have noticed that we only got TEN! I don't do failure… I will find that weakling and SCRAP HIM." He didn't really need confirmation but now it was official, Darecure was the last Bot left. Not really something to be proud of. But even worse, his chances of survival looked pretty awful with a hunter this determined. At least they were Cons and not some sort of weird monster. 

"Our original mission was to take out the traitor and no one else." He nearly didn't recognize the voice - they sounded so tired, so worn out but it had to be them right? He needed to know. He had spend so much time thinking about them. Did they finally run back into each other. He had to know his situation anyway. Just one peak wouldn't hurt. He could use that info to hide better, right?

He only looked for a second. And 8 pairs of optics looked back. Frag. His luck had run out. Before he could reach the door, both who he assumed was Twinetwist and Exalcore had reached him. Darecure could barely see the strings leaving the tips of her digits before Exalcore's sword build a barrier between him and his attacker. "Watch it, you fool! These hands are worth more than you are scrapped!" Exalcore simply growled at her and moved in front of him. "Get out of the way, big guy. I'm not sharing this piece of scrap," she commanded them. "No," Exalcore's every fibre seemed tense, ready to jump in case they got attacked. "Is this some of your moral code idiocy? We had this talk, didn't we Exal? I am your boss. We kill whoever I seem worth it." They didn't move away, simply taking a deep breath. That didn't mean Darecure had to stay put. 

He moved closer to Exalcore, basically hiding behind their shell. He got a good look at their back, the old wound from their second meeting was this there. He took great care not to touch it as he laid one servo on their back plate. "Twinetwist," a Con stepped up. She had been quiet until now. "Let him go. They clearly know each other." Pushing her aside, she walked up to Darecure, only stopping when Exalcore flinched. "One of the escape pods is still working - I give you two 30 klicks and then you're on your way back to where ever you're supposed to be, okay?" She turned around and Twinetwist followed. "What the fuck was that, Vim?" she sounded upset and confused. As much as Darecure would have wanted to see this play out, he wouldn't waste any of those klicks. 

He grabbed Exalcore's servo and ran. On one Audial he still heard Vim starting to shush Twinetwist but he got out of hearing range as soon as he turned around the next corner. He still ran for another four corridors before he slowed down. Exalcore didn't see to have any trouble with keeping up tho. "Wait, Darecure, you can slow down," they stopped, which pretty much forced him to stop too. Darecure took a few steps away from Exalcore, trying to get his digits to stop twitching. But they were still too close. What he would give to just enter the tunnels and feel less exposed. But Exalcore would never fit. "Darecure," they sounded so soft. "We are safe." He wanted to trust them. It might be the fact that he hadn't been outside the tunnels often enough anymore or that his whole team had been killed, but he couldn't stay here. Not this easily attackable. "Please, let's just go to the escape pods. Please."

Exalcore nodded. There wasn't any way they could deny him. Darecure was shaking. He probably didn't notice but they did. "Okay, you lead the way," they said, extending a servo to the shaking bot. He reluctantly took it, but his next steps were a lot more secure. There was a sense of purpose in his step, only partially covering up his anxious shivers. They didn't talk while walking. The tunnels were still too vast for him to fill them with voices. Exalcore could only guess if this jumpiness came from the murder of his teammates or if there was something deeper. The time they were given was too short to inquire. 

They reached their destination quicker than expected and Darecure thanked Prime. He pulled Exalcore into a small storage room next to the docking area. It was crammed but it didn't bother him since Darecure pulled Exalcore into a hug as soon as he closed the door behind them. All the air the medic had stored up in his vents seemed to leave him at once. "I'm so happy to see you again," he said, smiling up at the taller bot. Exalcore tried to return the gesture but the grin was pained. There was so much to tell, so much to explain, so much forgiveness to beg for. But they couldn't find the words. "I'm so sorry," they simply said. It wasn't enough to express even half the things they wanted to, but it was a start. Soon, tears followed. "I'm sorry, I should have stopped them before she-" Darecure hushed them, pulling them even closer. They seemingly melted into the touch, falling onto their knees. "It's alright," he mumbled against their audials. "I'll be fine, I'll be okay." 

That might have been a lie. He wasn't really sure what he was gonna do, or how to explain this mess or if he even wanted to just run back home and get assigned a new group of Bots he could watch die. But it didn't matter at that moment. All that mattered was that they were out of those horrid wide passages and that they were together. Without the death threat lurking around him, all the relief of seeing Exalcore hit him at full speed. Now he was the one crying. Slowly, he let his servos wander across as much plating as he could reach, taking mental notes of the dents he discovered on the tall mech. There were a lot of cuts and dents, all different size, proving that the Con had been busy since their last meeting. If he had the time, he would make sure to remove all the damage he could. 

But their time was short. He wiped the tears from Exalcores faceplate. "I'm so happy to see you again. I've been thinking about you… a lot since we last met." Exalcore's cry turned into laughter and they pulled him even closer. "Really? Am I this captivating?" They giggled and Darecure joined in, trying to burn those images of them smiling into his drive. "I still wish we could have met in more favorable circumstances," they mumbled. Darecure cupped Exalcore's face in his servos and looked them deep into their visor. "We also could have met in so many worse spots - we are both getting out of this okay, right?" They nodded, a blush creeping up their faceplate. "I spend so much time worrying about you… being dead. I wouldn't exchange knowing that you are fine for anything." Exalcore looked conflicted for a second. Which was understandable, considering the implications of this confession. 

But they seemingly made their peace with it rather quickly. The look in their visor was filled with something Darecure couldn't really pin down that easily. Something soft and warm and fuzzy - so many descriptors and he still wasn't sure what went on in their head. He wasn't given the time to think about it tho. 

Exalcore swiftly closed the gap between their lips. Their first kiss seemed cautious, all soft and hesitant, but the moment Darecure returned the affection, all the pretense of apprehension fell apart. They kissed like they had been starved, hungry and eager, devouring each inch they could reach. Darecure let them have their way for a bit, before taking over and pulling them in for a lasting kiss, taking his sweet time to explore their jagged denta with his glossa. They were sharp enough to cut him and if they had more time on hand, he would love to try that. They broke apart, both heavily venting. The small storage unit was getting heated. 

Suddenly, Exalcore looked up, staring off into the far distance. Darecure guessed the worst. "It seems like our time together is over for now," they looked pained. They clutched their servos around Darecure's. "Promise me you'll stay alive," they begged, visors filled with desperation. "Only if you do the same," Darecure was sure they could do it. Exalcore was smart, capable and strong. If they survived so far, there was no way the rest of this war would be able to extinguish their spark. "Until we see each other again," Exalcore kissed him one last time and then disappeared into the long winding hallways of the ship. 

Darecure tried to disrupt all negative thoughts until he got his escape pot all set up and going. He wanted to be happy for a bit. All he wanted was to replay the kisses, the hugs, the soft touches in his mind, just a moment of innocent bliss. But the moment he took off, it all came raining down on him anyway. Amidst the worries about Exalcore's wellbeing, the excuses he had to come up with to explain his own survival and the sudden realization that they were having a full fledged, trashy bargain bin novel level forbidden relationship, one thought kept popping up again and again. How long until they would meet again? What if it took them as soul crushingly long as last time? What if their time apart lasted even longer? 

He didn't want to think about the future but as the long flight back to the next best outpost revealed, there was no way he could escape it.


End file.
